Ghostbusters Blu-rayReview

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Bustin' still makes us feel good.

By Cindy White

If you don't know what Ghostbusters is about, you probably don't have any business watching movies. But in case that by some unfathomable reason you've never seen this movie (and in that case, what's wrong with you?), we'll sum it up: Doctors Venkman, Spengler, and Stantz (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroyd) have just lost their research grant, so they decide to take their findings and become the world's first private paranormal investigation and removal company.

Comedies from the 80's starring the alumni of Canada's Second City comedy troupe were the best. Not some of the best, the best. Even some of the stuff that's come out of their numbers in the 90's has put other movies to shame. These guys were the spawning pool of some of Saturday Night Live's best talent, and even the ones that didn't make the trip to the New York stage were still in the upper echelons of comedic ability. That said, Ghostbusters is the best piece of work they've ever done. Picture this movie as the Marx Brothers with unlicensed nuclear accelerators strapped to their backs with lots of expensive special effects. That's Ghostbusters.

Some of the effects may seem a bit crude by today's standards (the stop-motion Terror Dogs, for instance), yet others are still impressive after all these years (Slimer, the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man). But all the effects play second fiddle to the wacky characters in the story. Sigourney Weaver plays Dana, the Ghostbusters' first customer, who honestly seems like the only normal person in a world full of odd people. It is New York, after all. Although each of the characters is completely unique from the others, the chemistry between all of them is fantastic. Even though he didn't have the biggest role in the film, Rick Moranis is absolutely hysterical as the wimpiest accountant you've ever seen.

Click on the image above to watch our video review of the Ghostbusters Blu-ray.

Although the movie probably could have gotten along on its original premise and special effects, loading the cast with some of the funniest people alive and having Ivan Reitman at the helm ensured that a good movie would become a great movie. This movie was a monster hit for a reason, and it's still every bit as funny today as it was back in '84.

This disc offers a 1080p presentation in the original 2.40:1 widescreen aspect on a dual-layered BD50 disc. Although the film has been digitally remastered, don't expect this 25-year-old film to look as though it was released last summer. The first thing videophiles will notice during the initial library scene is the heavy wash of grain that never quite dissipates throughout the film. Fortunately the added detail of HD doesn't get lost under all that noise, and any evidence of hairs, scratches, specks or other imperfections have been removed. There's also a nice boost in depth here over previous releases, especially in the crowd scenes and the shots on the streets of Manhattan. Edges are generally clean, with just a few soft spots here and there. The colors suffer a bit from the natural degradation process, but we've seen titles half this age that don't look nearly as vibrant.

Besides the grain, the most notable aspect of this video presentation is just how poorly some of the cheaply produced visual effects hold up under the scrutiny of high definition. While some, like the library ghost, still look pretty impressive for the pre-CG era, others look flat, fake and badly matched to the backgrounds. In one shot, a demon dog runs across the street to Central Park and you can plainly see the square matte surrounding him the entire way. If they can remaster the old-school effects in Star Trek and Star Wars, this film is certainly no less worthy of the time and effort.

Score: 7 out of 10

Languages and Audio

The audio has also been upgraded to a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack in English, French and Portuguese. Spanish speakers get a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The lossless format is a bit overkill for this dated presentation, but it does bring out some environmental elements, like the heavy breathing of the demonic creatures, that you might never have heard before. The eerie, '80s synth pop score also sounds fairly robust here, though it never crowds the field or drowns out the center-focused dialogue. The dynamic range is also surprisingly wide, from the rumbling footsteps of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man to the wailing of the Ecto-1's sirens. The LFE channel gets the most action during the final scenes, especially the resonant, raspy voice of Gozer the Gozerian. This is certainly not on a par with a modern soundtrack, but it is certainly engaging considering its age.